What are your general impressions (free from your own political bias)? How influential are these media outlets in convincing voters?
Luckily, I was able to catch all three debates, and have them recorded on my cable box for reference. I thought it was very interesting, yet not surprising, that each news station had a different opinion or "bias" based on their alliance and political affiliation. Just like society, we all are entitled to our own opinions and point of views. I just think the problem comes in when people don't do their own research on topics and just rely solely on what they are hearing from news broadcasts. For example, after the Presidential debate on October 16th, I did a little bit of research on what news websites were saying about the election. It is known that Fox and MSNBC are typically more biased. Fox leans more republic and MSNBC more democratic, so conservative vs liberal. So, not surprisingly.. MSNBC had rave reviews about President Obama's performance in the debate and the headline was "As Romney Stumbles, Obama Rumbles." Fox, expectedly, praised Romney, and their headline said "Obama Uses Power of Nope in Bid to Check Romney's Debate Momentum." Those headlines aren't necessarily wrong or write, they are simply opinions. I think that News stations should try to stay as neutral as possible when covering debates because they are swaying viewer's opinions. These media outlets are extremely influential in convincing voters and knowing that certain stations tend to lean toward one side, voters are going to rely on those stations for information, instead of seeking out their own opinions. I think that to be an informed citizen you HAVE to make your own opinions, and then rely on evidence to support your claim, not the other way around.
Luckily, I was able to catch all three debates, and have them recorded on my cable box for reference. I thought it was very interesting, yet not surprising, that each news station had a different opinion or "bias" based on their alliance and political affiliation. Just like society, we all are entitled to our own opinions and point of views. I just think the problem comes in when people don't do their own research on topics and just rely solely on what they are hearing from news broadcasts. For example, after the Presidential debate on October 16th, I did a little bit of research on what news websites were saying about the election. It is known that Fox and MSNBC are typically more biased. Fox leans more republic and MSNBC more democratic, so conservative vs liberal. So, not surprisingly.. MSNBC had rave reviews about President Obama's performance in the debate and the headline was "As Romney Stumbles, Obama Rumbles." Fox, expectedly, praised Romney, and their headline said "Obama Uses Power of Nope in Bid to Check Romney's Debate Momentum." Those headlines aren't necessarily wrong or write, they are simply opinions. I think that News stations should try to stay as neutral as possible when covering debates because they are swaying viewer's opinions. These media outlets are extremely influential in convincing voters and knowing that certain stations tend to lean toward one side, voters are going to rely on those stations for information, instead of seeking out their own opinions. I think that to be an informed citizen you HAVE to make your own opinions, and then rely on evidence to support your claim, not the other way around.